NEWS RELEASE
Following the launch of the 2021 East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress website (https://eascongress2021.pemsea.org/) last April, Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) is pleased to announce that the website has been expanded to include a detailed calendar of events and event-specific pages to guide participants interested in joining the pre-Congress events and the Main Conference.
Since 2003, the EAS Congress has served as an intellectual marketplace and forum on the sustainable development of the seas of the world’s fastest-growing region. For 2021, the Congress will be a virtual two-day event to be held on December 1 to 2 and hosted by the Royal Government of Cambodia, with pre-Congress events happening from April to November.
The pre-Congress events are a mix of organizational meetings and collabs, which are technical or public-oriented discussions, workshops, and trainings. The collabs, most of which are open to the general public, are organized by PEMSEA’s partners and networks and outside institutions and will feature a host of topics in line with the Congress’ theme of Charting a New Decade of H.O.P.E. (Healthy Oceans, People and Economies).
The collabs feature the following subthemes and topics:
- Transitioning towards blue economy in the EAS region
- Fostering social inclusion [gender equality]
- Managing and restoring natural capital [nature-based solutions; marine protected areas (MPAs) and MPA networks (MPANs)]
- Reducing pollution and solid waste [oil spills, toxins and emerging chemical pollutants, marine plastic pollution, biofouling]
- Averting climate change and promoting social resilience [climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation]
- Crosscutting issues [integrated coastal management (ICM), marine spatial planning (MSP)]
The 2021 Congress comes at a fitting time as the EAS region goes through a new normal while nearing the completion of the 2018-2022 Implementation Plan of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA). Armed with greater public awareness on the links between ocean health and human health, the region is one and aligned with the global recognition to act on pressing socioeconomic, ecological, and climate change issues, and sustain the momentum of building meaningful and transformative solutions for a sustainable ocean-based economy.
Events lined up for December 1 include:
- Main Conference, which will feature the plenary consisting of TEDx style talks on a number of crosscutting topics; the summary, conclusion, and recommendations from the collabs and plenary; turnover of flag to the country host of the next EAS Congress; and Partnership Night (e-networking).
- 2021 Annual Forum of the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments (PNLG), which will convene all PNLG members for a General Assembly focused on the review of the 2021 work summary and 2022 work plan, approval of the 2022-2030 PNLG Strategic Action Plan (SAP); election of new PNLG officers; induction of new PNLG members; and turnover of flag to the local government host of the 2022 PNLG Annual Forum.
- Inauguration of the PEMSEA Network of Learning Centers (PNLC), which will be facilitated by the approval of the network’s Charter that will formalize the PNLC and specify the ground rules on membership; identify joint activities and outputs amongst its members; and explore options for sustainability and funding support such as through voluntary member contributions or joint fundraising initiatives.
The Congress will culminate with the signing of the 7th EAS Ministerial Declaration by the Ministers of PEMSEA’s country partners on December 2.
To receive announcements on important days to remember, the registration process, and other updates or details of each event, simply click on the “Subscribe for Updates” tab on the website.
For more information, kindly visit https://eascongress2021.pemsea.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
(Ms) Reggie U. Olalia
PEMSEA Communications Specialist
Email: rolalia@pemsea.org
(63-2) 0917-9028121
